Isala's Story
by Warriormaid
Summary: Four Queens of Narnia. Only one cares - and she is the outcast. Story is better than the summary, I promise! Please read and review.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or anybody you know.**

I am Isala. Isala the Fierce, Queen of Narnia.

Now I am in exile, here in Gren. But I know that I will eventually return to my home country. Return to Narnia.

This is my chronicle of what happened. This is my story.

Chapter 1

She came in disguise, as a poor peasant girl who wanted no more than three square meals a day and a bed to lay her head on at night. We were all fooled by her when she first came. We accepted her, me the most. She became almost part of our family. My sisters, me, and her. Laerana the Fearless, Sabina the Merciful, me – Isala the Fierce, and Cassia the Pure. And then there was her – Jadis the Innocent. At least that was what the servants called her. They were wrong, so very wrong!

She lived with us almost nine months before she revealed her secret, and even then she only told me, because, as she put it, I had potential to be the greatest queen Narnia had ever seen. Her secret was so surprising and yet so expected – she was planning to take over Narnia and make me queen. Of course, she was lying to me. She was…is…the Great Deceiver. Yes, she was planning to take over Narnia, but no, she did not want to make me queen.

She had been with us for little over a year when her armies arrived. By then, I had joined her wholeheartedly. She said she wouldn't harm my sisters, and she didn't seem evil at all, only concerned for the good of Narnia.

One night, I snuck out of my bedroom to join her and her armies. She had already known about the castle's defenses, having explored the castle countless times. She just needed me to show her exactly where to go, or so I thought.

I was in for a surprise, by the great Lion I was. She had told me to meet her at the stroke of midnight, but I got there a little early. So I heard her talking with a Minotaur.

"The meddlesome one…Isala. She is of no more use to us. You can dispose of her." I gasped, and suddenly she quieted and became alert. She saw me right away, and had the Minotaur bind me and take me to her. She looked so different, there in her war carriage. Much less like a girl of fourteen and more like a conquering queen.

Of course, I was very naïve back then. I immediately demanded to know what she was doing and why she wanted to kill me. But she just laughed.

"Silly girl! Did you really think that you were going to rule Narnia with me? No, of course not! Why would I let a backstabbing traitor such as you be at my side?" was her mocking reply.

She let me go back to the castle that day, because she was planning on attacking the castle the following night and my sisters would be cautious if I disappeared. She threatened to torture and then kill me if I breathed a word of this to my sisters. But my mind was made up. She wasn't just a girl. She was a witch, and it was my duty as queen of Narnia to warn my sisters.

So warn them I did. My sisters believed me, and evacuated most of the people from the castle before she attacked. But I had to stay behind, but doing that was a risky business. My sisters had no idea that I was the one who showed her all the secret passageways of the castle. Besides, I had sealed a covenant with blood when she told me of her secret, so long ago to my mind, even though it was only a quarter of a year.

She invaded the castle at the stroke of midnight like she said she would, and she found me in my bedroom. She took me back to the battle in the courtyard, where the servants were valiantly fighting to try to allow me and my sisters to escape. It was working. Her armies were being driven back.

And then she called out my sisters' names. When they stopped fighting and turned towards her, they saw me standing beside her. My older sisters' faces hardened, and all three of them hurried away. My spirits fell.

"Who is going to rescue you now? You have betrayed your sisters, and the only reward for a traitor is death. Your sisters have turned against you, and now you are friendless." she taunted.

I watched helplessly as she quickly turned all of the resisters to stone. There was nothing I could do, and although she didn't turn me to stone, it was like I was stone anyways. The horrible realization of what I had done finally struck me. Nothing could save me now. I resolved then and there to go out fighting.

I whipped out the silver dagger that I always carried at my waist and charged towards her. My war cry ripped out of my throat. "The Fierce for Aslan!"She heard me coming and whipped around, pointing her wand at me. I felt myself freeze, then looked down in horror as my feet started to turn to stone. I snarled and bared my teeth at her. She just laughed.

"Did you really think you could kill me?" Then she stalked off. I was completely stone by then, and I couldn't even move as I watched her. She cast a spell that turned the whole castle to ice.

A few days later I watched as she moved into the ice castle. Already hundreds of creatures hiding in the nooks and crannies of the palace had been ferreted out and turned to stone here in the courtyard where I was, not the least of which was a lion. I blacked out then, for what reason I have no idea.

.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own the sisters.**Chapter 2

All my older sisters ever wanted was power. Cassia was just a pawn, and they tried to make me one too. But I refused. That was why they hated me.

Our mother was Queen Swanwhite. She reigned for a little over 50 years before she died, peacefully of old age. Aslan himself attended our coronation. My sisters – Laerana the Fearless, Sabina the Merciful, and Cassia the Pure – and I felt honored. But that quickly died down. He gave each of us a little diamond vial, each containing just a drop of a blue liquid.

"Narnia will need you for much longer than your natural lives. This is a special cordial. Drink a drop a day. It will inhibit your growing older for one day. The next morning, the vial will refill itself. Keep this, and drink a drop each day until four rulers arise to take your place."

We let ourselves age to the respective ages of 17, 16, 14, and 12, then stopped aging. Narnia was in peace for 150 years, and then she came.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I own Isala and her sisters.**

Chapter 3

Suddenly I felt a slight warmth on my chest. What was warmth? I had drifted in and out of consciousness ever since I first blacked out. The number of stone statues in the courtyard had grown each time I woke up. But now, it looked like there was less statues then before! Had she started rearranging her furniture? And then I saw the scene outside. It was not the barren landscape of snow I had seen each time I woke up. For the first time in who knew how long, there was green grass and flowers on the ground. I started in surprise, and then realized I could start. I wasn't stone anymore!

I waited impatiently until I was completely returned to normal, then I stretched luxuriously. Turning around, I gasped. Aslan himself had breathed on me!

"Aslan…" The Great Lion turned and looked at me. "Aslan, I'm so sorry!"

His mouth didn't move, but I heard his voice in my head all the same. "Peace, my dear child. Narnia is safe once more."

"But my sisters…"

"You'll see them soon." He walked away, and I stared after him.

"Hi! My name is Lucy. What's yours?" I was startled. A little girl was looking at me. She was about eight or nine.

I smiled at her. "I'm Isala."


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: C.S. Lewis owns Narnia.**

Chapter 4

Aslan led us to the battle. Lucy and her older sister, Susan, were riding him. I had run to my room to get my weapons and change into armor. The armor was dwarf made, light but durable. I easily kept pace with Aslan, even though I was running.

We arrived at the battle. One thought flashed through my mind: Kill her. I ran into the battle. Battle and fighting have always been part of my lifestyle, and as I flew like a whirlwind, I realized that I had missed it.

I remember the look on her face when she saw me. Anger, and yes, bafflement. I laughed aloud when I saw her.

"The Fierce for Aslan!" I shouted. Knocking a hag to the side and stabbing a werewolf in the chest, I exulted for a minute in the feeling of victory. Then I saw a blur of movement running towards her.

It was a boy about my age. He was wearing the armor and surcoat of a knight of Narnia. He ran towards her, and while she wasn't looking, brought his sword crashing down on her wand. I almost cheered but then caught myself.

A Minotaur crashed into my view. I impatiently sliced his head off. This was something I wanted to see.

She noticed it when he broke her wand. She turned around and lunged at him with a knife, but he skipped back. They circled each other warily for a while. Then he went on the offensive and began a flurry of attacks. They succeeded in driving her back. She soon recovered, however. Suddenly she lunged at him and stabbed him right the stomach. He collapsed. She pulled her knife out of him with a look of pure hatred, and went off to find easier prey.

I gasped and ran over to him. He was still alive. I knelt by his side.

"I'm Isala. You must be Edmund. I'll go and get Lucy." I got up and ran in search of Lucy.

I found her, relatively far away from the battle. "Lucy!"

"Isala! What is it?"

"Your brother. Edmund. He's in trouble. She stabbed him through the guts." Lucy saw the look of desperation on my face and ran as fast as her little legs would carry her. I stopped.

"Here. Climb on my back." I was only fourteen, but I was strong. I carried Lucy all the way to Edmund. Susan and somebody who was probably her older brother, Peter, were already there. I sensed that I was intruding on them, and walked a few steps away, searching the battleground for my sisters. Maybe they had changed.

I didn't find them anywhere near the battlefield. I didn't find them at all. Was this a good thing or a bad thing? I had no clue. I didn't even want to know.

"Isala!" I heard somebody shout. I turned around. It was Edmund! He was standing up and waving to me. I gasped. How did that happen? The last time I saw him five minutes ago, he was lying on the ground with a knife wound right through his chest. And here he was, alive and well!

I walked over to them. Peter shook my hand warmly. "Thank you so much, Isala. You saved Edmund, and for that, I – we – are forever grateful."

"But what did I do? All I did was bring Lucy over to him…" I asked.

"Yes. Lucy was given a cordial made of fireflowers." I nodded. Every Narnian knew that the juice of the fireflowers could heal any wound.

"Isala! I can't tell you how grateful I am!" said Edmund. I turned around.

"It wasn't me. Lucy was the one who healed you."

"Yes, but she never would have gotten there in time if it wasn't for you." I nodded.

I was feeling kind of uncomfortable. I had always been the outcast of the family. I wasn't used to being treated like I was special. My sisters wanted power, and they would do anything for it. I suppose that's why I sided with her at the beginning. Cassia, my little sister, didn't know anything. She was just a pawn. Laerana and Sabina tried to make me one too, but I refused. Perhaps that's why my sisters detested me.

I changed the subject. "Have you seen my sisters?"

"Who are your sisters?" Edmund asked. I told him, and he nodded.

"Oh, of course. They're waiting at the camp." I shouldn't have expected them to be at the battle. Their titles are shams, only reflecting what they wish they were. Laerana's a coward, always hiring somebody to do her dirty work. Sabina's merciful, in such a way as that she would pardon a couple people each year. Compared to Laerana, she was merciful. And Cassia's just completely out of it. I suppose she's pure, but in a really weird way.

They chose their titles for themselves after the coronation. I was different. My title was given to me by the people of Narnia. At first, before that, I was just "Isala". My sisters laughed at me for that. They couldn't understand how I wasn't ambitious. As a result, I became a recluse. I had my meals delivered to my room, and never ventured out during the day. She was the bright point of my life, or so I thought. Shows just how foolish I was.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I own everybody you don't recognize.**

Chapter 5

They were waiting at the camp, just like Edmund said. As soon as we reached the camp, with all its brightly colored tents and red pennants, they hurried out. Laerana pretty much jumped on Peter.

"Avert your eyes!" said Edmund, giggling. Lucy and I joined in. I tried to make myself scarce, before Laerana finally stopped her incessant kissing and hugging of Peter. He looked pretty uncomfortable, and I sympathized with him. This was obviously some scheme to get back into power.

Alas, my sister stopped much earlier than I expected. She saw me, and her mouth fell open with astonishment. Then she gathered herself and plastered on a fake smile I knew all too well.

"Isala! We've missed you!" She ran over to me, ready for a hug. I tried to protest, but it was no use. As she hugged me, however, she whipped out a dagger and sliced a shallow cut in my arm.

"Never do that again. We will always be watching." She whispered in a voice quite different than the other one. Then she pulled away. I tried to hide my arm behind my back so that nobody would see it. My sisters' cruelty was something that I would only share with my best friends, and at that moment I didn't have anybody.

And then Sabina came forward. She did practically the same thing as Laerana, except she slashed my shoulder. Cassia was hurried away by Laerana. They probably didn't want me making any contact with her.

"Isala? Come on! I want to show you around the camp." Edmund, calling to me. I hadn't realized that everybody else had left. I put my arm behind my back again.

I joined Edmund up on a hill. We looked out at the camp's brightly colored tents for a while before he spoke. "I brought you up here so we could talk alone." I didn't say anything.

He continued. "It's the look in your eyes. You've endured something nobody should have to endure."

I glanced at him. "Why do you say that?"

"Because the same thing happened to me." he replied. "I betrayed my family to the White Witch. But they've forgiven me."

Suddenly the realization struck me. He was slightly outcast from the rest of his closely bonded family. At least he was forgiven…

"You're right." I was startled by my own voice. "I was held captive by Jadis since she took over."

"A hundred years. That was how long the winter lasted." A hundred years! Had I really lived for 250 years?

"You're lucky." I said.

"Why?"

"You've been forgiven."

"What?" He looked at me in a new light.

"My sisters hate me."

"They don't hate you, Isala. Who could?"

"You don't know. All they want is power. They're no better than the White Witch."

I drew my arm from behind my back. "Look. This is what they did to me." As I was pulling my arm out, I saw the slashes for the first time. They were deeper than I thought.

"What?" Edmund took my arm in his hands. At first, I flinched and suppressed an urge to pull away. But his hands were so soothing, so tender and soft.

"Are you sure they did this to you?" he asked.

"Do you think that I would hold still long enough for an enemy to slice that deep and neat a cut?"

"True…" He inspected it some more.

"But what about Cassia? Surely SHE doesn't hate you."

"Cassia is a pawn. She's totally out of it. My sisters don't want her even seeing me."

"So, in other words, there's nobody who likes you."

I sighed. "Yes."

"But that's not true."

"Yes, it is."

"Isala, you're not understanding. Lucy absolutely loves you. And I think you're the most courageous girl I've ever met."


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I own Isala, her sisters, Petra, Calliope, and Carlota.

Chapter 6

I wasn't sure if I should take that as just a compliment or something more. But I basked in it just the same. It had been years, nay, a century and a half since someone had sincerely paid me a compliment.

I didn't notice that I was strangely quiet until Edmund asked, "What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing. It's just that you're the first."

"The first?"

"In a long time."

"The first what?"

"The first person in a hundred and fifty years to pay me a compliment."

"What? Now THAT'S something that I would have never imagined."

"Why not? It's true."

"But a girl like you? Isala, I – "

"Don't finish that sentence, Edmund. I understand completely."

"Are you sure you do?" I didn't answer him.

We sat in silence for a while longer, and then he said, "You're coming to the coronation, right?"

"What coronation?"

"Uh…this might be a sore spot for you, but my siblings and I are going to become the kings and queens of Narnia."

"No, that's a good thing! No, better than a good thing."

"Why?"

"It means that my sisters no longer have any control over Narnia. I've lived for roughly 250 years. At our coronation, Aslan gave us these vials of a liquid that inhibits our age. But we're supposed to stop using it as soon as four rulers arise to take our place. That's probably you."

"But have you thought of the fact that Laerana is trying to get Peter to marry her so that she can get a throne?"

"Not going to happen. Aslan will stop them."

"But what if he leaves?"

"Then I guess it'll be up to us: you, me, Lucy, and Susan."

"I'm not sure if Susan will help us. She's about as infatuated with Sabina as a girl can get with another girl."

"But Lucy will, right?"

"Well, obviously. Like I said before, she absolutely adores you."

I said nothing to this. It was still slightly hard to digest the fact that I was well liked, at least since my best friends were killed by HER armies. My sisters' influence reached everywhere, even into Archenland and Calormen. Back before SHE came, I had no friends except for Petra, Carlota, and Calliope. The four of us were pretty much the only resisters against their regime, but we were warriors, all four of us. Petra was a archer, Carlota was a warrior like me, and Calliope was a spear-and-lance fighter. So maybe that was why we didn't get killed in our beds in the middle of the night like everybody else who had opposed Laerana and Sabina.

"What's wrong?" Edmund startled me out of my revierie.

"What?" I asked, not sure what he asked me.

"You've been quiet for the past five minutes. And you've got a somewhat sad look."

I paused for a while, not sure if I should tell Edmund everything or not. But he was so understanding, and so like me. Anyways, what I was thinking of couldn't hurt me, if he did go and blab it all to Laerana or Sabina.

"I was thinking about my friends. Petra, Carlota, and Calliope."

"Callio-what?"

EVERYBODY got her name wrong. It always pissed her off. "Call-ie-oh-pee."

"That doesn't sound Narnian…at least, not like all the Narnians I've met. Though I can't say I've met many Narnians."

"Well, yes. It isn't a Narnian name. Nobody's exactly sure where it's from. She just appeared as a baby at the palace gates one day, with a note that was pinned to her shirt. All it said was, 'Baby Calliope. Born on 4 Eagle. Please take care of her.'"

"So why were you thinking about them?"

"I remember seeing Petra and Calliope fighting during the battle at the beginning of her reign. But then I got turned to stone, and I don't know what's happened to them."

"But you do realize that if they survived the battle, they would still be dead by now, right?"

"But if they survived up until the point when I got turned into stone, that would mean that they were turned into stone too. Back then, she never used any weapons but her wand."

"So you think they're still alive somewhere?"

"Yes. Aslan must have turned them back to life."

"But wouldn't they have found you by now?"

"I don't know. But what I do know is that I need to either find them, or find proof that they died."

"What do you mean, 'find proof'?"

"A grave marker or somebody who'll swear on the Great Lion that they saw one of them die."

He fell silent for a while, then he spoke. "So this means that you'll be leaving me–us soon?"

"Yes. Now I have no other purpose in life. My sisters are now out of the throne and no longer under the crown."

"How soon will you be leaving?"

"Not too soon. I think I'll stay here for a while."

"Why?"

"What do you think? To get to know you and Lucy better, and maybe do some research too."

Any further converstation was cut off when Peter yelled up to us, "Ed! Isala! It's dinnertime!"

Edmund gave me a rueful smile. "I guess that cuts short our converstation, though I'd love to talk to you about your quest."


End file.
